I am installing a weight distributing hitch on my 2009 super duty 4x4. The manufacturer recommends that the top of the hitch ball be no more than 1" above the top of the ball socket on the tonque. That would be 14 inches for my 16' tandem axle trailer. However, with the hitch in the lowest position on the shank the top of the ball is 19". It needs to be dropped 4-5 inches to comply with those recommendations. That would require a 9 hole shank (Curt makes one with 10 holes) and the bottom of the shank would be very close to the ground. Is this typical? This is my first experience with a weight distributing hitch.

 

My understanding is that the closer to level the trailer is, the less susceptible the trailer is to sway. But you still gotta have the tongue weight right.

 

It might help if we knew what kind of WDH you have. Maybe pics. With some WDH types you can flip the shank to give you more options.

 

Yes, it is typical, especially with older trailers, to need an 'extended shank' drop bar. I had to get one to pull our travel trailer with my Power Wagon, and now with the Tremor I likely need one even longer but it's close enough that I'm not going to worry about it.

What kind of tandem axle trailer is this? A flatbed? Enclosed trailer? Or an RV? I ask because there isn't a 16' trailer made, short of a dump trailer, that I would even CONSIDER running a WDH on behind any truck I've ever owned, since all I've ever owned has been a 3/4 ton or heavier truck. Most 16' trailers are limited to 10k or so GVWR, and you can adjust the load in anything but an RV such that you still get 10-15% tongue weight and still be within spec on the truck. We have a 20' enclosed trailer at work with a 12k GVWR, we've loaded it right up to that number, put it behind our 3/4 ton shop truck, and had no issues (other than that the gas motor doesn't really like pulling that much weight). I have loaded many equipment/flatbed trailers to their max GVWR and not needed a WDH.

 

I'm with you on this, I never use a WD hitch on my F350 DRW CC LB 6.4. If you look at the distance between the front axle and rear axle vs. rear axle to the hitch ball it's pretty clear you would need an absurd amount of tongue weight to remove any notable amount of weight from the front axle. 5,060# on the front empty, it you put like 2,000# tongue weight you'd perhaps reduce that to 4,860# on the front axle and I think that will handle just fine.

 

It is a tandem axle 16' flatbed trailer. The only reason for using a WD hitch is to be legal. The maximum Gross Trailer Weight for my F250 is 6000 lb with a weight pulling hitch and 12,200 lb for a weight carrying hitch. The trailer has two 3500 lb axles under it. If I load it to 7000 lbs and not have the WD hitch I will be exceeding Ford's max load specification. That is not to say that the truck won't pull the load but to say it wouldn't be legal. Probably nothing would ever come up but if I were to be in an accident the attorneys would love to find that I was pulling too much weight. They would draw and quarter me and the insurance company might have an out which would leave me stuck with the bill. At any rate, the solution that I'm pursuing now is to replace the trailer coupler with an adjustable coupler which will raise the coupler up to the same height as the hitch. That will give me an additional 5" of ground clearance which will solve the problem. My F250 weighes around 6200 lb total and when pulling 7000 lbs I definitely feel the tail wagging the dog. When I get the changes made I'll post a photo.

 

If you aren't hauling professionally there is likely nothing to worry about as far as legalities. And that rating is based off the receiver, not the truck itself. Upgrade your receiver and you'd likely be fine.

If you feel the tail wagging the dog with a 7k load on a 16ft trailer, you don't have the load in the right place and have either too much or too little tongue weight (usually too much). I would suggest, for your purposes, getting something like a WeighSafe hitch and foregoing the WDH for now - because you need to adjust that WDH for whatever load you put on it, and quite frankly with a load that light there is absolutely no need for a WDH. Now, a stand-alone friction sway control I COULD understand, especially if it isn't possible to get the weight properly located on the trailer. But a full WDH? Not necessary unless you're hauling professionally.